Self-locking fire-hose bridge.



No. 67!,777. Patented Apr. 9, IBM. J. E. RYAN.

SE LF LOCKING FIREHOSE BRIDGE.

(Application filed Apr. 9, 1900.)

2 Sheets--Sheet I.

(No Model.)

|NVENTQR Hrs ATTORNEYS J HN E.P\YAN No. 67!,777. Patented Apr. 9, 1901. J. E. RYAN.

SELF LOCKING FIRE HOSE BRIDGE. (Application filed Apr. 9, 1900.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets$haat 2.

Q N W I F'\ e. 5.

WITNESSES JNVEZNTOR JOk-(N E. RYAN H46 ATTORN EYE).

'USB.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SELF-LOCKING FIRE-HOSE BRIDGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 671,777, dated April 9, 1901.

Application filed April 9, 1900. Serial No. 12,066. Kllo model.)

To aZZ whont it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN E. RYAN, of the city of Minneapolis, Hennepin county, Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Self-Locking Fire- Hose Bridges, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to devices for bridging the lines of fire-hose to permit street-cars to run without interruption during a fire; and one object of the invention is to provide a device that can be quickly and easily adjusted on the track-rails by one man and when not in use can be as readily folded into a compact bundle and carried on a laddertruck or hose-cart.

A further object is to provide a fire-hose bridge which when opened or unfolded will be automatically locked and prevented from shutting up or collapsing when in use.

The invention consists generally in various constructions and combinations, all as hereinafter described,and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a perspective of a fire-hose bridge embodying my invention, showing the position of the parts when the device is folded. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the bridge unfolded ready to Fig. 3 is a transverse section showing the folding hinges in position to be opened. Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the device partially unfolded. Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line w 00 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a detail of the locking mechanism of one of the hinges on the line y y of Fig. 5.

In the drawings, 2 represents the sides or shoes of the bridge having straight lower edges to rest upon the track-rails and provided with narrow flanges 3, that are adapted to fit inside the rails and hold the bridge in position thereon. The upper edges of the rails or members 2 are curved, as shown, and provided with straps 4, upon which the wheels roll as the car passes over the bridge, and the ends of said straps are preferably bent in under the ends of the rails 2 and make contactwith the track-rails, so that the electric current of a trolley-car will not be broken as the car passes over the bridge.

To receive the lines of hose that may be stretched across the car-track during a fire, I provide large recesses 5 in the lower edges of the bridge-rails, and these recesses are preferably of suffieient size to accommodate four of five lines of hose, which in most cases would be the greatest n u m ber stretched across the tracks at any one point. To strengthen and brace the bridge-rails at the point where the recesses are provided therein, I prefer to provide plates 6, securely bolted to the rails 2 over said recesses and extending down at each end of said recesses to the lower edges of the rails 2.

To permit rapid handling and facilitate placing the bridge on the track-rails, I prefer to provide hinge connections between the rails of the bridge, said connections being adapted to be folded to permit the device to be put in compact shape and carried on the ladder-truck or hose-cart. The hinges upon the bridge-rails comprise, preferably, short straps 7, securely bolted to the inner side of the rails, and the long straps 8 and 9. The straps 8 preferably have downwardly-turned inner ends 10, that are pivotally connected to lugs 11 on the lower edges of the straps 9 and permit the straps 8 and 9 to be easily folded down upon the sides of the bridge, as shown in Fig. 1.

When it is desired to unfold the bridge, the straps 8 and 9 are swung up to a vertical position, as shown in Fig. 3, and the rails are then swung apart on the pivots connecting said straps until the straps are in line with each other and the sides of the bridge are a sufiicient distance apart to rest upon the track-rails. When the straps are in this position, it is desirable to provide some means for locking them to prevent the accidental folding or collapsing of the bridge. I therefore provide springs 12, secured to the straps 8 and having hooked or bent ends 13, projecting through holes 14 in said straps and adapted to enter corresponding holes 15 in the ends of the straps 9. I prefer to provide beveled tips 16 on the ends 13 of the springs to permit the ends of the straps 9 to slip easily over them until the holes 15 are reached, when the springs will snap therein and lock the straps together and prevent upward movement of the ends thereof until the ends of the springs are disengaged from the holes 15. To limit hose.

the downward movement of the ends of the straps and prevent their passing too far over the ends of the springs, I may provide stops 17 on the inner ends of the straps S.

To prevent any racking or twisting of the bridge during the passage of the car over the same, I prefer to provide brace-rods l8, pivotally connected to one of the bridge-rails between the straps 9 and having hooks at their opposite ends to enter staples or sore w-eyes 1 S), provided in the sides of the opposite rail. I may also provide hooks 20 on the outside of the bridge-rails to engage the 'tops of the track-rails and prevent the bridge from being pushed along the track during the passage of a car.

The device when not in use is carried upon the ladder-truck or hose-cart folded in a compact form, (shownin Fig. 1,) and when needed at a fire the hinge-straps are turned up to the vertical position, as shown in Fig. 3, and the operator grasping the side rails of the bridge can easily spread the device until the springs snap into their sockets and the ends of the hinge'straps are locked together. The bracerods are then put in position and the bridge placed upon the track-rails over the lines of The operator may then with a single blow wedge the retaining-hooks under the tops of the rails and prevent the car from pushing the bridge out of position during the passage of the car over the same. One man can easily unfold the device and place it in position on the track, an operation which usually requires the services of two men when the ordinary form of fire hose bridge is employed. When it is desired to fold the device, the operator, having unhooked the bracerods, grasps the knobs of the springs, disengaging them from their sockets and permitting the hinge-straps to swing vertically until the lower edges of the bridge-rails are brought together.

I have shown and described my improved fire-hose bridge as adapted for use on a streetrailway track; but it is equally applicable to the rails of a track where the cars are operated by steam power, it being necessary simply to employ heavier side rails or members to enable them to support the greater weight of a locomotive and a railway-car.

The details of the construction that I have herein shown and described may be modified by any one skilled in the art Without departing from my invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. A fire-hose bridge comprising side rails adapted to be placed over lines of fire-hose stretched across the track, jointed bars connecting said side rails and adapted to hold them parallel on the track-rails, and said bars being also adapted to fold down lengthwise upon said side rails when the device is not in use, substantially as described.

2. Afire-hose bridge, comprising side members or rails adapted to rest upon the trackrails-and having recesses to receive a line of hose stretched over the track, the straps or bars hinged to one of said rail members, similar straps or bars hinged to the other rail member opposite said first-named straps, the opposite straps of said members being pivotally connected at intermediate points and adapted when the device is folded to beturn ed down to a horizontal position thereon, substantially as described.

3. A fire-hose bridge, comprising side rails or members having recesses to receive lines -of fire-hose stretched across the track, straps hinged to one of said members, similar straps hinged to the other member opposite said. first-named straps, the opposite pairs of straps being pivotally connected at intermediate points and adapted to be folded vertically and horizontally, and means for locking the pivotally-connected ends of said straps to prevent the accidental folding or collapsing of the bridge, substantially as described.

4. A firehose bridge, comprising side rails or members adapted to rest upon the trackrails and having recesses to receive lines of fire-hose stretched across the track, bars or straps hinged to said members and pivotally connected in pairs at intermediate points and adapted to be folded vertically and horizontally, means for locking the pivotally-connected ends of said straps to prevent vertical folding of the same, and brace-rods connecting said members, for the purpose specified.

5. In a fire-hose bridge, the combination, with the side rails or members having recesses or holes to receive lines of fire-hose stretched across the track, of straps or bars hinged to said bridge members and pivotally connected at'their inner ends and adapted to be swung vertically to permit the lower edges of the bridge-rails to be brought together, and said straps or bars being also adapted to be folded over to a horizontal position on said members to permit-compact folding of the bridge, substantially as described.

6. In a fire-hose bridge, the combination, with the side rails or members having recesses or holes to receive lines of fire-hose stretched across the track, of the straps 8 hinged to one of said rails or members and having downwardly-turnedv inner ends 10, the straps 9 hinged to the opposite rail or member and having lugs 10 pivotally connected to said ends 9, and springs provided on said straps 8 and adapted to enter holes or sockets in said straps 9, substantially as described.

7. A lire-hose bridge, comprising the side rails or members 2 having recesses to receive lines of fire-hose stretched across the track, of the straps 8 hinged to one of said rails or members, the straps 9 hinged to the other rail or member and pivotallyconnected to said straps 8, the springs provided 011 said straps 8 and adapted to snap into sockets in saidstraps 9 whereby said straps will be locked in an open or unfolded position, substantially as described.

8. A fire-hose bridge, comprising side rails adapted to be placed over lines of hose stretched across the track, jointed bars connected with said side rails and adapted to hold them parallel on the track-rails, said bars being also adapted to fold down lengthwise on said rails when the device is not in use, and hooks provided on said rails and adapted to engage the tops of the track-rails to lock the bridge thereon, substantially as described.

9. In a fire-hose bridge, the combination, with the straps 8 hinged to one rail or member of the bridge, of similar straps 9 hinged to the opposite member or rail, the inner ends of said straps 8 and 9 being pivotally connected and adapted to be swung upward to permit the lower edges of the rail members to be brought together, the springs 12 provided on the straps 8 and having'beveled tips to enter holes or sockets in the straps 9 to prevent the folding of said straps and the collapsing of the bridge when in use, substantially as described.

10. A fire-hose bridge, comprising side rails or members adapted to rest upon the track-. rails and having openings or recesses to re-' ceive lines of hose stretched across the track, suitable connecting devices hinged together and to said side members, the axes of the hinges between said connecting devices being substantially at right angles to the axes of the hinges between said devices and said memhers to permit said devices to be folded vertically and horizontally, whereby said side members may be folded flatwise into the same horizontal plane and said connecting devices turned down horizontally upon them,substantially as described.

11. A fire-hose bridge, comprising side rails adapted to be placed over lines of hose stretched across the track, jointed bars connecting said side rails and adapted to hold them parallel on the track-rails, said bars being also adapted to fold down lengthwise upon said side rails when the device is not in use, and brace-rods provided between said side rails to prevent racking or swaying of the same when in use, substantially as described.

12. A fire-hose bridge, comprising side rails adapted to be placed over lines of fire-hose stretched across the track, jointed bars connecting said side rails and adapted to hold them parallel on the track-rails said bars being also adapted to fold down lengthwise on said side rails when the device is not in use, and suitable stops for limiting the depression of the connected ends of said bars and looking them to prevent their collapse when in use, substantially as described.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 5th day of April, 1900.

JOHN E. RYAN.

In presence of- RICHARD PAUL, M. O. NOONAN. 

